This is information on how to get a horse back on it's feet. If you want to get a horse up quickly - you will need a Backhoe or Tractor or Bobcat. Quietly tell the horse what you are going to do - I am not joking. First put one tow rope strap around the behind of the front legs of the horse, then the other strap in front of the back legs, or vice-versa. Then move the equipment close to the horse remember equipment is very loud to a horse so expect the horse to get scared. Get someone agile to climb up onto the equipment and tie the tow straps to the hooks of the equipment and slowly lift the equipment up. Sometimes the horse will have a bit of kick other times they have none depending on how ill they are. If the horse is very sick...do not take the straps off. Use your own judgement if you think you can save a horses life if they are not too old. A horses life can be saved if the horse is left in the straps connected to the equipment. The straps will hold the horse up. You can still do everything like feeding and providing water to the horse, brush the horse, with the horse still in the tow straps. You must be very dedicated to the horse as it will need someone to be watching at all times to make sure the horse does not twist the tow ropes. Our horses life was saved with this same method, technique. We fed her, watered her, mucked her out, everything for weeks, day and night. She became stronger and stronger and survived. We worked around the clock and co-ordinated our lives around our horse. It worked, although it was hard work it was very much worth it all. She has repaid us by letting us see her run now.
Another way to raise a horse off of the ground, although we have not tried this method - is to put a penn or three high fence panels around the horse. It only requires three fence panels either side and behind the horse. You must firmly secure the penn (fence) panels with fence posts holding the panels firm. Use a post hole driver for the posts to hold the panels secure. Then get the tow ropes, do as above with the straps. Attach the tow straps to the panels either side. Then get your tow ratchets which are positioned outside of the penn. Then ratchet the horse up with the tow ratchets. Leverage is required as is making sure everything is secure. Good Luck.

The latest training suggests that the safest way to lift is to put the straps between the legs as pictured here to distribute the weight more evenly & avoid internal organ compression or boy part injuries.

Thank you for your photograph Natisha. I forgot to mention previously that we also wrapped towels with black narrow electric tape each end of the tow ropes to hold the towels in place to cushion the eventual rubbing and chaffing of the tow straps on our horses skin. You can use sheep skin or pipe foam, use your imagination. We would rather have had the eventual rubbing of her skin due to the tow ropes than let her lay and eventually die.
We knew it was very important to provide as much stimulation as possible for her to keep up her will to survive and live and carry on with her life. So we knew it was definitely best to keep her outside in the natural environment not indoors at all.
She could also see our other horses and we also put our horse in the small pasture with her because horses are communal animals and they very much need other horse company and also protection from other horses at night so that they are able to sleep which gives important needed healing.
Our house is only a few yards away from her so it was relatively easy to access her. We also could see her from our windows.
One of us never left her at this time day and night. One of us sat in the car at night watching her.
Too many horses die needlessly because they can not get up on the cold ground which takes all their energy levels. With human help they may perhaps live on and get over their ailment. The horse biological design is very top heavy, imagine trying to life that weight when you are sick - impossible. So we thought with human intervention maybe this method could save horses lives sometimes.
Our horse was kept in the slings for many weeks. It takes horses along time to recover sometimes. We asked for veterinarian advice, we were told we had been doing everything right for our horse to our relief. So we carried on and on.
Each day there was improvement. Each day watched and monitored very closely. As long as a horse has appetite and is drinking and is happy, carry on and on, do not give up.
We gave anti-biotic, colostrum to boost immune system and vitamins plus high fat diet. Do not over medicate.
Very important to review your horses diet, past and present. Look at feces past and present for any changes.
Also research holistic approaches to helping a horse get back to health.

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